The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge for the week of August 9, 2017:

Exploring the elements of earth, air, water, and fire through the landscapes that surround us.

Up in the mountains, away from the highway, the conveniences, and the safety of our familiar, life is reduced to the basic elements. There are no traffic sounds here — only the wildlife and the wind whispering through the pine trees. Perhaps a combination of fire and wind was what brought down the tree in the foreground; but whatever caused it to fall, it is now being very slowly reduced back to the elements of the earth and in doing so, providing nourishment for new life.